Palm Beach Gardens, Florida – Jake Knapp was 11 shots that his opening turn at the Cognizing Classic and always stayed in front, curling in a 15 -foot sipt on his last hole on Friday for a 70s and an advance on Matthieu Pavon.
Knapp, who made 12 birdies on Thursday for the 15th round of 59 or less on the PGA Tour, made 10 holes without blackery. He had a double bogey when his tee shot found the water. One of his best shots hit a watering cap and bounced 40 meters.
Knapp did not know what to expect. It was almost perfect one day and a fight the next one.
“I never had to follow a 59 during a tournament before. All this is new to me, ”said Knapp. “Yesterday, everything just clicks on the wise ball, the distance control was really good, was able to control the flight and the windows. Everything that was perfect.
There was more wind at PGA National. The putts that found the center of the cup managed to burn the edge.
“Some capricious photos, but nothing too much regarding,” he said.
A player had reasons to celebrate, as well as shed a few tears. The Junior of Florida State, Luke Clanton, easily cut with a 56 -one – he had only four shots behind – giving him enough points for the 21 -year -old to get a PGA Tour card after the NCAA championships in late May.
Clanton already has two finalists on the PGA Tour and a pair of other top 10. He is used to the big stage and he has another opportunity this weekend.
Luke Clanton finally has his PGA Tour card, but it is much more than that
The trip of Florida State Junior to Tour began the artificial greens in Hialeah, Florida, and ended on Friday, not too far, in PGA National.
The same goes for so many others.
Knapp was 139 years old. Pavon, the Frenchman who won in Torrey Pines last year, had a 64 and had his head briefly until he shortly misses a birdie on his last hole to finish one behind.
Daniel Berger, who grew up near PGA National, was released in 31 to share the head and did not make the rest of the path. He fell back with a bogey in which he searched a shot from the mud and weeds on n ° 11 and did well to limit the damage.
Berger had a 68 and was 11-me from 131, with Michael Kim (66), Doug Ghim (63) and Jesper Svensson (67), a recruit that won his card through the European tour last year.
“I just lost a little steam on the nine rear,” said Berger. “I don’t know if I didn’t eat enough food and I started to feel a little there. But hit a bad iron at 9, branch in danger, and I actually got out with a just to make a bogy there. »»
Former Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, showed enough match at 49 to display a 66 and joined Rickie Fowler (68) and Taylor Montgomery at 132.
Jordan Spieth was there with them, finding a 50 -foot stewed putt on the 16th hole. But one day after having the three holes of the “bear trap”, the 17th par-3 did for lunch.
Spieth drew his starting stroke in the danger. His 25 feet put derived 4 feet by the hole, and he missed the return to make Triple Bogey. A birdie in the 18th grade gave him a 70, but he had six shots behind the weekend.
Spieth added the Cognizant Classic to its calendar for the first time after the Arnold Palmer Invitational to Bay Hill chose not to give a sponsor exemption to the triple major champion, granting them in place of Min Woo Lee, Mackenzie Hughes and Rafael Campos.
Knapp opened with a birdie after his 59 -year -old round – he started on the 10th hole par -5 – then he calmed down. He made Bogey du Bunker on the 16th. He found a bunker on the 18th par-5 tee which prevented him from reaching green in two.
It seemed to be a day when everything conspired against him on the third by 5 when his second blow was just at the little green, hit a watering cap and ended up at around 40 meters near the ninth tee. He launched well at 8 feet for Birdie, then sting the next hole and was back on the right track until his tee shot finds water on the sixth by 4.
“Obviously, today is not as great,” he said. “I’m going to go out and train a little and make sure that some things are cleaned. But for the most part, you can’t really do too much on this course. You can’t master it or something like that. I just have to take what it gives you.
